Aviation WI/AHC: Spruce Goose goes into production in 1944

[LHB]

One of the main obstacles to the successful completion of the AH-1 Hercules, better known as the Spruce Goose, was a lack of necessary aluminum along with Howard Hughes notorious perfectionism.

With a PoD after the design was first pitched by Hughes & Kaiser in 1942 what could get the Hercules into production by 1944? What impact would it have on the course of WWII & aviation history?

 

[Mike Stearns]

My guess is minimal. They'll come into the war when the war is basically won and in the process of ending. You might see a revival of commercial flying boat services after the war with surplus Spruce Geese, but any revival would be strangled pretty quickly by Super Contellations and jets The only other possible use I can see for the Spruce Goose is as a water bomber for fighting forest fires. They might actually be pretty good at that.

 

[docfl]

Was a what if model where they had the spruce goose in TWA markings. At the time TWA was owned by HH.

 

[Just Leo]

It could have been called the HK-1 or the H-4, the Spruce Goose was never called the AH-1, or the Birch Bitch, for that matter. Mr. Hughes, while a perfectionist indeed, was also sometimes lacking in concentration and easily diverted. He also didn't delegate in some cases, when his presence might not be available. Another factor is the performance of the Hercules itself, an aircraft that never left ground effect. At the very best, it could only have been made available after its need had been overcome by events. Being unnecessary, its high cost of manufacture and operation would have rendered it a museum piece.

 

[Carl Schwamberger]

That poster of the H-4 in TWA colors reminds of the 'No WWII' discussions. Turbine & Jet engine development is slower & another generation of flying boats rises aloft...

 

[ennobee]

The challenge part: A good deal of the troubles with the Spruce Goose stemmed from the personal friction of the two men cobbled together for its completion:inventor Howard Hughes, notorious for his micromanaging and shipyard magnate Henry Kaiser, nicknamed 'Hurry up Henry' for a reason.

So my scenario for 'saving' the HK-1: once the detailed plans are drawn, Kaiser buys out Hughes and completes the aircraft on its own. (In order for Hughes to agree, let's say he gets another pipe-dream that hoggs all its attention: May be a jet engine, may be a new movie project, may be a new girlfriend....) Anyway, Kaiser, the man that just built 52 escort aircraft carriers in 52 weeks, manages to not only finish the first HK1 by December 1944, but also build a new one every two weeks until VJ day...

Part 2: As for the impact of the plane: Surprisingly little as the US by now has established a smooth running supply line to Europe as well as to the pacific. Also the U-boats in the Atlantic... The main reason for the HK1 to be developed turned out to be less and less of a threat once Kaiser's 52 escort carriers became operational and learned how to put a safe screen around the convoys. I the end the only thing I can see the spruce goose being good at is at sacrificing half of her payload for extra fuel and then flying the New-York Ireland route nonstop as a fast courier-transport. A second route San Francisco to Hawaii might be interesting too.